It's Good to be Loved, Right?
by Biscuit15
Summary: When Itachi is injured on a mission it's up to Kisame to protect him long enough for help to arrive.  But Itachi refuses to acknowledge how badly hurt he is and only gets worse.  What will happen when Itachi hates Kisame for saving his life?  KisaIta
1. Chapter 1

"How are your eyes, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked worriedly, looking towards his younger partner.

"They're fine," Itachi said, lying down beside the campfire. "You shouldn't worry about me, Kisame; I'll be fine."

Kisame snorted, throwing another log onto the fire. "You're eighteen, Itachi."

"And I'm also an Akatsuki member, like yourself, but I'm stronger even then you."

"You're a pup, Itachi. A pompous, ignorant pup. You're not as strong and untouchable as you like to believe."

"Hn." Itachi didn't bother to reply to this – he only focused on getting sufficient rest and closed his eyes, trying to relax.

Kisame swore under his breath. He liked Itachi, really, but he hated the way that the young raven-haired man was so up himself that he refused to let Kisame look after him at times like these. Itachi was still only a young man but the way he acted was like the Uchiha thought he was much more experienced and superior to everyone else. Itachi – as much as the younger male didn't want to believe it – was hurt, and he needed to be looked after or he could get worse.

"Itachi-san, you're not well at the minute," Kisame tried once again. "Please, let me help you. That Sannin could've -"

"I'm fine." Itachi interjected icily.

"Itach-"

"I'm. Fine."

Kisame threw his hands up in defeat, kicking at the dirt. "Whatever, Itachi, let yourself get hurt! I don't care anymore; I'm sick of caring! All I ever try and do is help you and you push me away like some dirty mutt! Maybe I should just leave you here alone to get hurt so you can learn that you're not everything you think you are!"

"..." Itachi did nothing but raise a hand to examine his fingernails.

"Fuck!" Kisame shouted, grinding his teeth.

He felt like taking Itachi by the neck right there and literally punching some sense into him. But as much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't; Itachi was fragile, but with the way he hid it behind his emotionless mask no one else could tell. He knew that if he hurt Itachi, Itachi would lose all trust he had in the older male and Kisame didn't want that to happen; it had taken years for the Uchiha to build even a little bit of trust in the Kiri-nin and the shark-man was the only person Itachi could trust and even like - even though it were only a little.

Itachi was still silent, ignorantly ignoring his partner once more.

Kisame sat back down on his log, trying to calm himself. He couldn't hurt Itachi, he couldn't! He sat watching the teenager lay on the ground, trying to mask the pain he was suffering, but every now and then, Itachi would whimper and reach up, holding his aching eyes, twitching in what Kisame could only imagine was agony.

Deciding to try once more – mainly because the blue-haired man couldn't stand to see Itachi in such pain – the Kiri-nin stood up and walked to the long-haired man, kneeling beside the younger male.

"Itachi-san," Kisame was quiet this time, "please. I only want what's best for you, Itachi. Please?"

"... Hn..." Itachi squeezed his eyes shut tightly in pain, but he nodded slowly – the pain must've been great if Itachi was allowing someone to help him.

Kisame clapped his hands together, almost unable to hide his excitement. "Oh, thanks, Itachi-san!"

Kisame ran to his pack located on the other side of the tiny camp, pulling out some painkillers and his water bottle, knowing that it was only a small gesture to show his affection for the Uchiha but there was next to nothing that he could do for the poor male.

"Here, Itachi-san," Kisame said gently, sitting beside Itachi. "Please, sit up for me."

Itachi obeyed after a few seconds, resting instead against the tree that was behind him. He closed his eyes, allowing Kisame to come closer to him, but when he felt hands that weren't his own on his body, he opened his eyes again, glaring up angrily at Kisame, trying to shrug the uncomfortable sensation away from him.

"Itachi..." Kisame said warningly, lifting up the bottle of water to show the younger male. "It's alright, Itachi-san - Pein told me how you don't like to be touched. Just know that I would never hurt you, okay? I'm just going to give you some painkillers and then after that, a massage to loosen you up a little, okay? You're so tense."

Itachi glared a little longer before dropping his gaze. He knew how Kisame, when his mind was set to something, wouldn't leave until he had gotten what he wanted and Itachi didn't have the strength to fight with him tonight.

Kisame smiled at Itachi, gently tilting the water bottle enough for the fluid to flow into the raven's mouth, gently adding the painkillers next. Once the raven swallowed it all, he gently maneuvered Itachi so that the smaller male was sitting comfortably in Kisame's lap and he ran his hands over the younger male's back, expertly making Itachi feel better than he had for years.

Itachi closed his eyes. Sometimes... it was good to have Kisame around.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N This story is now being beta'd by one of my closest friends, and she's probably a hell of a lot better writer than I am, so hopefully with her suggestions and small fixes, this should be better than before.**

When Itachi woke the next morning cuddled against Kisame, he glared at the still-sleeping shark-man, trying to pull himself away angrily. He didn't _do _physical contact – much less cuddling. It was _degrading! _It was _humiliating! _But, most of all, it left someone wide open for injury.

Kisame's eyes opened, watching the weasel with amusement. "Good morning, 'tachi. Sleep well?"

Itachi swore there was mocking in Kisame's voice. "Fine." He spat back.

Kisame propped himself up onto his elbow, still watching Itachi, a frown appearing slowly on his face. "Why don't you like me, Itachi? I like _you."_

Itachi only ignored Kisame, going on with the task of finding the location where he had placed his pack.

"Itachi-san?" Kisame almost pleaded. "Please, tell me."

"..."

By this point Kisame was feeling rather hurt, though he wasn't going to admit it to Itachi - Itachi wasn't the only one with pride issues.

"Fine, Itachi!" Kisame shouted, making Itachi jump. "It's fine if you hate me! I'll go and ask Pein to give me someone else for a partner! It's obvious you don't like me, even though all I do is try my best to get along with you and look after you!"

Itachi scoffed. _Look after him? _Who the _hell _did Kisame think he was? "I don't _need _anyone to look after me, Kisame-_san_. Now, please get out of my personal space, seeing as it's _so obvious _that I hate you."

Kisame glared at Itachi. He was so angry that he was debating on whether he should decapitate Itachi or shave him with Samehada. Instead, knowing that neither were good choices, he got to his feet, he shoved all of his belongings into his pack and then slung it over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Kisame said quietly. "I'm going now, Itachi-san. I know when I'm not wanted. Hopefully by the time you get back to the base, Pein-sama will have paired me with someone else. I'd rather be even _Zetsu's_ partner than yours - at least _he _gets along with me."

"Takes a freak to love a freak," Itachi mumbled, looking through his own pack for a hairbrush.

Kisame snarled, offended deeply by the comment, but he chose to say nothing and focused on leaving. He hoped that by leaving Itachi alone and helpless, the younger male would learn his lesson...

-LINEBREAK-

Itachi had just finished brushing his hair, and as he lay down to rest his eyes a little more he heard something moving around the border his campsite.

Itachi sat up, glaring at the direction of the sounds. "I thought you left, Kisame," he said coldly. "Just go away already."

Laying back down he closed his eyes again, intent on just relaxing, but that goal was banished when something hit him in the back of the head like a ton of bricks. Itachi yelped out, trying to get to his feet and holding the back of his head, feeling blood dribbling in a steady stream. Activating his Sharingan, Itachi looked around for his attackers, his heart sinking when he found he was surrounded by ten unfamiliar chakra signatures

Injured as badly as he was, he knew he couldn't take on this many and come out unscathed. His eyes were too strained to work properly and with his head split at the back. His only hope was if Kisame returned, and soon.

-LINEBREAK-

"Stupid little shit," Kisame growled to himself as he hacked away at the underbrush with Samehada. "I hope he gets himself killed. Fuck, I can't believe Pein-sama paired _him _with me."

Kisame sighed to himself as he pulled his pack from his shoulder and sifted through it, searching for his water bottle. He soon realised that he had left it back at the campsite. He slung his sword back over his shoulder and returned the way he had come, and the sight that greeted him when he arrived a few short hours later shocked him.

"Kisame..." Itachi moaned weakly, blood pooling around him as he lay on the ground, his clothes torn up and covered in blood. He coughed up the sticky fluid, his body trembling violently. "Kisame..."

Kisame growled, running to Itachi's side - Itachi was badly hurt and it was obvious Itachi knew it as well.

"You're gonna be alright, kid," Kisame said quietly, not knowing how he could help Itachi. "It's going to be alright. Who did this to you?"

Itachi coughed again, moaning in pain. "It's... alright... I killed... them..."

Kisame gently lowered his arms underneath Itachi, picking him up and laying him in his lap. He rocked him back and forth, trying to bring comfort to the young man.

"I'll send for some help, Itachi-san," Kisame said quickly, summoning a small messenger bird and writing a note for help. Itachi's blurred vision barely made out the shadow of the bird before he fell unconscious.

-LINEBREAK-

That night was cold, but Itachi was even colder. Kisame had done everything he could while they waited for another Akatsuki member to show up, but Itachi was hurt badly. His chakra was drained, and he could barely move anything without it hurting. He had been bandaged where the injuries were but his blood wasn't clotting properly and the lack of blood was making him unwell.

"Just hold on, Itachi-san," Kisame said quietly, gently. "Someone will be here shortly if my bird wasn't delayed."

Itachi whimpered and moaned, reaching out with his hand to try and grasp something Kisame couldn't see. The smaller man's body quivered violently, sweating heavily, and the delusions Itachi kept trying to reach out to and talk to could only point to one thing – Itachi must have been poisoned.

"Oh, fuck, no..." Kisame muttered, shaking his head. "Please send Sasori… please send Sasori… please send Sasori..."

As if his prayers had suddenly been answered, a large clay bird swooped down and landed next to them, the two artists of the Akatsuki jumping off of the creature.

"What's wrong with him?" Sasori demanded, wanting to get back to the base to fix his puppets.

"I believe that he's been poisoned, Sasori," Kisame said quickly.

Sasori nodded, his eyes emotionless as ever. "Get him on the bird."

"No!" Deidara shouted, hatred in his eyes. "He's _not _getting on my artistic creation, un!"

"You little brat!" Kisame shouted angrily, not in the mood for Deidara's issues with the raven-haired man. "I don't care what kind of grudge you hold against my partner, but if he dies because you won't let him on your shitty thing _I'll _hold the grudge against _you!"_

"You hear that, brat?" Sasori growled as he turned to face Deidara in annoyance. "Delay us a second longer and I'll kill you myself!"

Deidara was only new to the organization, but he had already learnt the hard way that Sasori wasn't bluffing when he threatened Deidara with death. Grimacing in disgust as Itachi was lifted onto the bird, Deidara jumped back up to stand in front of the others on top of the clay bird's head, guiding the bird back to the base.

It had only taken around three hours to fly straight back to the base, and Kisame wondered why it had taken all day just for help to arrive when he had sent the message early in the morning. Deciding not to dwell on it, he jumped off the bird before it even landed properly and ran into the base with Itachi in his arms, shouting for Sasori and Konan to meet him in the medical ward.

Kisame lay the now-unconscious Itachi down on the medical bed, worried about him - if he had been poisoned, why was it taking so long to kill him? Normally when members of the Akatsuki were attacked with poison, it was normally made to kill them quickly because of the immense strength and experience of Akatsuki members.

"Hmm..." Kisame muttered the second the puppet and Konan came in.

"Out," Konan said to Kisame in a more authoritative tone than Pein himself could manage on his best day.

Kisame obeyed and left the medical ward, knowing that if he didn't listen things could get ugly; Konan was dangerous when she had to heal one of the members. Kisame thought it was because she was upset that they were hurt and she hid sadness behind annoyance.

Kisame had only waited outside of the medical ward for the better half of forty-five minutes before Konan finally came back out, smiling.

"He's going to be fine, but he wants to see you," Konan explained gently. "Sasori is leaving as soon as he packs everything up so give it a few minutes. Go get a drink or something to eat, okay, Kisame-kun?"

Kisame nodded, deciding that a quick bite to eat wouldn't hurt. He made a sandwich and downed it in three bites, before he hurried back to Itachi. When he pushed open the door, he found the young male glaring at the door already, hatred etched on his face.

"I hate you, Kisame," he hissed, venom in his voice.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I apologise – this entire fic has already been sent back to me by my friend, I've just been too lazy to fix it all up and post it :( Soooo sorry for keeping you waiting!**

Kisame stared at Itachi. Did the Uchiha really just say that? After everything Kisame had _done? _

"What the fuck did you just say?" Kisame snarled, reaching behind him for Samehada. "And to think I was fucking worried about you!"

"I never asked you to be worried about me, Kisame."

Kisame threw Samehada to the side, breaking glass vials and the medicine cabinets as the large sword impacted with them. Itachi gasped as Kisame rushed at him, the older male jumping onto the bed and wrapping his hands around Itachi's neck.

Itachi tried to push Kisame away, but Kisame's grip was so tight that he could feel his airways being slowly crushed.

"Don't you _ever _treat me like that again, Itachi," Kisame snarled, eyes flashing with anger that had been buried deep down inside for a long time, only to resurface at that minute. "_Ever!"_

Itachi choked and coughed, feeling himself losing consciousness, before a shout at the doorway startled them both and someone had pried Kisame away from him.

"Kisame!" Pein shouted angrily. "What the hell?"

Kisame's eyes slowly cleared, the grip on Itachi's throat loosening, and once Kisame saw the bruises around Itachi's neck and the tears in the teen's eyes, his heart dropped. He had given in to his animal instincts and taken out all his frustration and anger on Itachi. _Itachi._ This was bad. Now, Itachi would lose the only person he could trust and confide in. Not that Itachi confided much in anyone, but Kisame knew things about Itachi no one else did – even if they were only tiny things.

Pein was glaring angrily at Kisame, waiting patiently for a reply.

Kisame's mouth opened and closed, trying to find the right words. "Pein-sama... I..." He took one last look at Itachi. "... I need to go for a walk."

Pein nodded, knowing it would be best for Kisame to get out and clear his head. "Sort everything out before you come back in, please, Kisame." His voice was soft, understanding; he had taken things out on Konan before without meaning too.

Kisame left, feeling his eyes burning as Itachi began to sob softly into the pillows. He had made him, _Uchiha Itachi, _shed tears – the same boy who had murdered his entire clan without shedding a tear for anyone but his little brother, after making him hate Itachi with all his being.

Kisame shook his head, horrified with himself. How could he do that to a teenager, let alone one as fragile and damaged as Itachi?

-LINEBREAK-

Kisame didn't return back to the base until the next day at lunch. He stood outside forming the hand signs to break the Genjutsu, but soon he was glomped by someone before he could cast it.

Kisame sighed as he heard the familiar childish giggle.

"Did no one let you in again, Tobi?" Kisame asked, his patience at a low, even for Zetsu's mentally-retarded subordinate.

Tobi shook his head, giggling happily. "Nope! Tobi is so glad Kisame-san was outside looking for Tobi! Tobi might never have gotten in otherwise!"

Kisame rolled his eyes. _No one lets you in because they hate you, _Kisame thought with malice. Or maybe he had spoken out loudly, because Tobi begun to cry.

"No one hate Tobi!" Tobi sobbed loudly, pounding on Kisame's chest with his fists in distress. "Kisame-san being mean to Tobi! Tobi gonna tell Zetsu-sensei on you! Zetsu-sensei gonna be mad!"

Kisame face-palmed, but the damage was already done; upset Tobi and he'd be blubbering the entire day until he cried himself to sleep – there was no use trying to console the childish man.

Instead, he grabbed Tobi's shirt collar, dragging him into the base once the Genjutsu was released and the entrance was revealed.

"Waaa!" Tobi sobbed loudly, his annoying voice echoing through the hallway, giving Kisame a headache. "Kisame-san is meeaaan! He even made Itachi-san cry last night!"

Kisame turned on Tobi, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him in close. "How do you know about that?" He hissed.

"Zetsu-sensei told Tobi because Tobi is a good boy!"

"How'd he know?" Kisame shouted, shaking Tobi, he had hoped that no one would find out about this; more for Itachi's pride than his own wellbeing.

"Everyone knows!" Tobi began screaming now, trying to push Kisame away. "Zetsu-sensei! Kisame-san is gonna hurt Tobi!"

As if it were a signal, Zetsu merged from the floor, glaring angrily at Kisame, he _hated _people upsetting Tobi - mainly because he was the one stuck to deal with him.

"Zetsu-sensei!" Tobi sobbed, hiccupping as he ran to the Kusa-nin and wrapped Zetsu tightly in one of his bone-crushing hugs. "Kisame-san is being mean to Tobi!"

"Just deal with him, _big-mouth_," Kisame hissed, turning.

"There, there, Tobi," Zetsu soothed gently, pulling the man into a comforting hug. "It's alright. No one is going to hurt you. Let's go into our room and have some fun."

Kisame grimaced as he heard this – everyone knew Zetsu and Tobi had more than just a teacher-student relationship – it was one of the reasons Zetsu could deal with Tobi, and the main reason no one but Zetsu would let Tobi into the base; no one wanted to hear them in their bedroom when the door was locked, though a closed door didn't do much: Tobi was a screamer and Zetsu moaned loudly.

Leaving the two lovers in the hallway, Kisame headed straight into the kitchen. He didn't expect Itachi to be there, but he was, the only absences being Zetsu and Kisame (on the rare occasion Tobi got into the base at mealtimes, he was made to eat in Zetsu's room.)

Itachi refused to look at Kisame all through lunch, but the horrible bruises all over Itachi's neck screamed and stared at him. Kisame watched with saddened eyes as Itachi kept his own eyes closed, lifting the spoon to his lips slowly and sipping at his soup, trying to act tough but failing; Itachi's tiny quivers were visible to all of the Akatsuki, though no one dared mention anything about it out loud with Itachi around.

Orochimaru, Zetsu's partner, had eyes hungry with want as he stared intently at Itachi. Kisame snarled inaudibly once he noticed this - if Orochimaru got his hands on Itachi, Itachi would be _ruined_. Itachi was either oblivious to the stares or he was ignoring it, but whatever he was doing only made Kisame angrier – everyone knew what Orochimaru was like, and Itachi would not be able to handle it in his already-fragile state.

"Sit down, please, Kisame-san," Pein said quietly at the head of the table. "Eat."

Kisame hesitated; everyone's seats were designated. You had to sit with your partner, but Kisame had a feeling Itachi wouldn't want him there today... maybe even never.

As soon as Itachi heard this he pushed his barely touched soup away and stood up quickly, his eyes wild with fear.

"May I be excused, Pein-sama?" He asked politely, refusing to look at anyone and instead kept his eyes on his 'lunch'.

"Itachi-kun -" Konan began, but Pein interrupted her.

"Yes, Itachi."

Itachi bowed respectfully before hurrying away from the kitchen; Kisame didn't fail to notice that Itachi had refused to be within three feet's distance of the shark-man.

"It's customary for everyone to remain seated until the last member is finished," Konan said quietly, her eyebrow raised at Pein. "You shouldn't have allowed Itachi to run, he will have to learn to deal with this; they're partners."

"Konan, Itachi needs time," he said softly. "We can't force him until he's ready to deal with it."

Konan nodded, turning back to her ramen.

Kisame shook his head sadly before taking a seat, but instead of reaching for the food like he always did with such fervor, he chose to just stare at Itachi's soup until Kakuzu had finished and everyone was allowed to leave the room.

-LINEBREAK-

It was that night that Kisame had finally been able to see what he had truly done to Itachi; Itachi had refused to come in even for a shower or to get his pyjamas, and he had flat-out refused to sleep in the same bed as Kisame.

Instead, Pein had allowed Itachi to use his shower and had gone in to fetch pyjamas from the Uchiha's room himself. Itachi had gotten spare sheets and slept on the couch.

Due to all of the avoiding that Itachi had been doing Kisame had soon realised that he really didn't want to be at the Akatsuki any longer; he had come to terms with his feelings about Itachi during all this.

He loved the Uchiha. He _love-loved_ him. That's why the next night he started packing his bags, he couldn't bear to see Itachi like this any longer because his anger had gotten the better of him.

**A/N One thing I forgot to mention (though you should have worked this out already with Itachi's age and Dei having only just joined) is that this is before the timeskip, though I am still keeping Oro in, though as Zetsu's partner instead. **


	4. Chapter 4

Kisame had been gone for a month now. Itachi honestly didn't know how he felt about this, he sat on his bed, staring at the wall, and remained emotionless as the door slowly opened.

"Oh, Itachi-kun…" a familiar voice hissed. "I have a little something for you…"

Itachi looked up, finding Orochimaru standing at the door. He was smirking devilishly.

"What do you want?" Itachi asked in a cold tone.

Orochimaru laughed. "You."

With that, Orochimaru was behind Itachi, a blindfold in his hands. Itachi was powerless against the snake Sannin and, soon enough, the Uchiha was blindfolded and tied to the bed.

Itachi whimpered as his clothes were ripped from his body and he struggled desperately to get away.

"You can't leave just yet, Itachi-kun…" Orochimaru laughed, licking Itachi's sensitive neck. "I haven't had my fun with you."

Itachi screamed as something was shoved into his opening without warning, and he thrashed to get away; he knew what was happening, and he didn't want one bit of it.

-LINEBREAK-

"He was such a good fuck…" Itachi flinched as he heard Orochimaru talking to the other members just a few hours later. He hid himself against the wall that separated the kitchen and the living room. "I can't believe he was a virgin up until before."

Itachi closed his eyes in shame. He was a virgin because he wasn't a slut. He had been planning on saving himself for someone special, but now…

"Hmph!" Itachi flinched again when he heard Deidara grunt. "Serves him right. I hope you do it again, Orochimaru; that pompous little _whore _deserves it, un!"

Itachi couldn't stop the tears from flowing. He knew Deidara hated him but to hear those words… it hurt so much.

"Mmm…" Orochimaru moaned. "Of course I'll do it again, Deidara-kun… Itachi-kun was just so good… Maybe someone else can join me next time?"

Itachi wiped at his tears. He didn't care how weak he appeared right now, he was hurting so much more than physically after hearing this conversation. He didn't want to be alone anymore – first he loses Sasuke and now Kisame – Itachi couldn't deal with this anymore. He realised now just how much he cared about Kisame, he had to find the Hoshigaki; Kisame was the only one in the Akatsuki who cared for Itachi and, without Kisame, Itachi truly _was_ alone in the world.

-LINEBREAK-

Everything was quiet as Itachi packed silently - he was going to find Kisame, he needed to apologise for everything he had put Kisame through. Itachi couldn't begin to fathom just how Kisame could still care for Itachi after the Uchiha realised just how cruel he had been to the shark man.

After checking that he had packed everything he needed, Itachi silently crept out of the base.

-LINEBREAK-

Kisame sighed as he received the key to his hotel room, thanked the desk lady and walked slowly to his designated room. Entering, he threw his bag into a corner and kicked off his shoes, tossing himself down onto the hard bed. The Hoshigaki unbuckled his pants and slipped his hand inside, resting on his hardened self.

Kisame closed his eyes and began rubbing softly. "I-itachi…" he moaned. "Kami… 'tachi!"

It didn't take long for Kisame to release on his hand and he let out a soft moan as he came down from his high. He sighed as he opened his eyes, standing back up and heading into the bathroom, he turned the shower on and stepped inside, cleansing himself. He exhaled as his thoughts wandered back to Itachi. How he missed the Uchiha…

"Itachi-kun…" Kisame said softly. "I miss you… So much…"

With those words, Kisame turned the shower off, dried his body, and walked out to the bed, climbing in and falling asleep. He hadn't even bothered to get dressed; he just wanted to sleep so he could dream about Itachi once more.

-LINEBREAK-

Itachi had ran away from the Akatsuki a month ago and he felt he was no closer to finding Kisame than he had been before. He had searched long and hard, but no matter where he looked no one had seen Kisame or had any information for Itachi. Itachi was close to breaking down at this news, he just wanted to find Kisame and get him back.

Meanwhile, in the same civilian village Itachi was currently in, Kisame had just entered the front gate and was looking for a hotel. He walked slowly down the main street, looking at the signs that hung above the doors of the buildings, but something soon caught his eyes; a raven-haired man sitting down on a bench, crying.


	5. Chapter 5

"Itachi-kun? Kisame walked over to the young man on the bench. "…Is that you…?"

The young man looked up with wide eyes, and Kisame was just relieved to see that he was right - it was Itachi.

"K-kisame…?" Itachi whispered with shock in his voice. Why the hell would Kisame even bother trying to find him after everything Itachi had _done? _"…Why…?"

Kisame picked Itachi up and carried him away to his hotel room, trying not to cry; did Itachi feel bad for what he had done? He shouldn't; Kisame had always forgiven him. "'Why what, Itachi-kun?"

"…" Itachi couldn't help but let out a loud sob. He was so sick of keeping his emotions bottled up inside. "…Why do you still care…? All I've ever done is to be cruel to you and put you down…"

"…" Kisame smiled gently. "It's because I _love _you, Ita-kun. So much."

Itachi clung to Kisame desperately. "…I…" Itachi gulped; he had never told anyone what he was about to tell Kisame. Not even Sasuke. "…I love you, too, Kisame… Please forgive me…"

"Shh…" Kisame soothed, smiling at him gently. He rubbed soothing circles into the Uchiha's back lovingly, not wanting him to be so upset. "Let's just get you back to the hotel room. We can talk and make apologies later on."

Itachi nodded and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

**-XX-**

When Itachi awoke a few hours later, Kisame had laid him down in the bed, said Kiri-nin lying next to him, holding Itachi in his strong arms. Kisame was sleeping happily next to him. Itachi smiled and snuggled in closer to Kisame, quite content with being so close to his love.

Beside Itachi, Kisame's eyes opened slowly and a soft smile crossed his lips. He reached out and pulled Itachi even closer to him, kissing him on the forehead. Kisame didn't miss Itachi's own smile and, taking a chance, Kisame rolled over on top of Itachi and kissed his lips softly.

Surprisingly, Itachi allowed it and he kissed back himself. Kisame couldn't believe Itachi's reaction - he had honestly expected Itachi to flip out over it.

As they broke apart for air, Itachi spoke, a hint of fear in his voice. "…While you were gone…" he began softly, "…Orochimaru raped me…"

Kisame's eyes filled with anger, and the Kiri-nin pulled Itachi into a hug. "…I won't ever let anyone hurt you like that again, Itachi-kun. I swear on my life."

Itachi nodded and cuddled in close to Kisame, remaining silent for a few moments, but replying to Kisame with a soft kiss. Kisame smiled to himself and ran his hands over Itachi's slim body and before they knew it, their clothes had been shed and Kisame was making love to the beautiful creature known as Uchiha Itachi.

**A/N I am so, so, SO sorry that there was no lemon. There was one originally planned, but I'd been holding this one off for so long and it's making it harder for me to update other fics while trying to force out a lemon on this one, too, so I cut it out.**

**I apologise for no lemon, but please understand that if I were going to keep the lemon, this fic would probably never, ever get finished, and I'm sure that a lot of you wanted to know how it ended. **


End file.
